Wednesday, July 23, 2014

My Stab at Reviewing

In an effort to keep this blog from fading into obscurity, I
may have mentioned some things I am planning to do with it. I have some author
interviews coming up and thought I'd also start including reviews for books
I've recently read. So to start off, I've got a few books I'm going to talk
about.

First, I wanted to give a review of some recent books by Kat
Attalla. If you haven't read any of her books, you really should. Kat writes some
of the best dialogue I've ever read, and she nails the chemistry between her
characters with absolute perfection. In the Married to a Prince series, she has
created a Middle Eastern world that I think many of us would like to see
actually exist. Book One, A Marriage of Convenience, involves a secret baby and
misunderstandings between Honor and Yusef. But even through all that, there
is no doubt that these two are deeply in love. I laughed through a lot of this
book, and was sorry to see it end. Book Two, An Inconvenient Marriage, Lila
learns she was married as a baby to Sami, the heir in line to the throne of
Nadiar. She plans to end the marriage, but finds herself falling for the
husband she never met or knew existed. Some really tense moments in this one,
but as usual the chemistry of the couple just sweeps you off your feet. Book
Three, The Prodigal Prince, also involves a lot of secrets. Mona, being the
daughter of Nadiar's emir, needs protection while she studies in Boston. Rashid
is the man hired to protect her, without her knowledge. Not to mention, he's a prince in his own right, even though he's cut himself off from his father's family. Mona's innocence is endearing (and humorous at times) and Rashid's determination to resist his growing feelings makes for
some really comical moments. There are more in the series to come, and I am
salivating while waiting for them.

Next up is J.J. Rose's Shell Game, Volume One and Two (book one is Learning the Ropes and book two is Breaking the Rules) Sarah
and Michael are a really intense couple, but they are written so realistically,
with lots of human flaws, that I felt as if they were real people I actually
knew. I found myself immersed in both books and hated for them to end. I highly
recommend reading them for those who enjoy BDSM romance. That aspect is also
done very realistically and true to people in the lifestyle, and smoking hot,
as well! The supporting characters are also very well-written, and spurred lots of intense reactions on my part. These are two more books that I had trouble putting down until the very end, and
was still left wanting more.

Also recently read is a romantic suspense by debut author
Kelly Janicello. Remember Me is a spooky tale about two cops hunting a serial
killer. Ryli has much more to do with this than either she or Brody realize,
due to her repressed memories. The chemistry between the two left me squirming,
and the humor throughout the story is so well-written, I literally laughed out
loud many times. Since a lot of my reading lately has been done at the gym
(thank you Kindle app for my phone), my reactions earn me a lot of strange looks
from those on the treadmills beside me!

Lastly, for this post, is Elizabeth Shore's Hot Bayou
Knights. Carla, a corporate consultant, has to complete a "fear assignment"
in order to achieve her much-desired promotion. She never expected to be at a
research facility deep in the Louisiana Bayou, one where King Cobras and their
venom are studied for medicinal purposes. Luckily for her, Jackson, who runs
the facility with intensity and drive, is smoking hot and shares her attraction.
The realistic touches of life in the Bayou dragged me right into the story and
didn't let me go until the end.

I have a few more recent reads I will be talking about, as
soon as I get myself organized. Between my e-reader and the Kindle app on my
phone I am getting caught up on my TBR list while I debate which story to
tackle writing next. I have five options I am considering, and as usual, I will end up
working on two at the same time, because why make it easy on myself?

So, go read some of these books. I guarantee you will not be
disappointed.

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About Me

A born-and-bred Jersey Girl with Brooklyn roots, I still live where it all started. I married my very own alpha male many eons ago, and until recently, was a full-time working mom to two school-age children. Still the mom – no longer the worker. Still, free time is always at a premium, and I spend the bulk of it lost in the worlds of my own making. I love to read and write hot, sexy and emotional stories about people both glamorous and not-so-glamorous. And some of them are even downright un-heroic, which is part of what makes them so sexy, in my opinion!

On those rare occasions when I am not writing, you can catch me playing in my other favorite alternate worlds of Highlander, Harry Potter, Charmed, and DragonBall Z! Yes, I know, an odd combo, but they all feature some of the sexiest villains ever. New to my obsessions are Vikings (from the History Channel) and Sleepy Hollow. And let's not forget my beloved NY Rangers. I find hockey players to be the real men of sports - and of course, I'm partial to the bad boys! lol